Chapter 6 - The Shadows Lengthen
While peace seemed to settle over the main study, deep down in the subterranean security holding cells of the Moretti estate, things were far from peaceful.
Marcus Vance sat on the edge of the narrow steel cot in his holding cell, his hands cuffed behind his back, nursing his bruised jaw. His eyes gleamed in the dim fluorescent light like those of a cornered predator. He knew the federal net was closing in, but men like Marcus didn't go down quietly.
A soft, metallic scraping sound echoed down the concrete corridor.
Marcus raised his head. Footsteps approached his cell—light, hurried, wearing expensive heels.
A figure stopped in front of the heavy iron bars. It was one of the estate’s junior administrative assistants, a young woman named Sarah whom Vanessa had hired six months ago to manage guest lists. But right now, Sarah’s hands weren't holding clipboards; they were holding a set of master keys and a heavy tactical baton.
"You took your sweet time, girl," Marcus muttered, standing up and walking to the bars.
"Don't start with me, Marcus," Sarah hissed, her hands shaking as she shoved the brass key into the old-fashioned lock. Click. The heavy door swung open. "If Moretti finds out I helped you, he’ll feed both of us to the sharks."
"Moretti is upstairs playing happy family with his resurrected wife," Marcus sneered, rubbing his wrists as he stepped out of the cell. "He thinks he’s won. He thinks the game is over."
"What are you going to do?" Sarah asked nervously, backing away as the burly security chief loomed over her.
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Marcus reached into a hidden compartment behind the electrical panel in the hallway, pulling out a heavy, suppressed automatic pistol that the police search had somehow missed. He checked the magazine with a satisfying clack.
"Games don't end just because the board gets flipped," Marcus murmured, a cold, dangerous smile spreading across his scarred face. "If I'm going down, I'm taking the whole damn house with me."
